turmoil

The Western Regions trade route is a cornucopia, and it is not easy to get a share of it—from the Western Regions to the Central Plains, passing through thousands of mountains and rivers, deserts and Gobi, and even bandits and horse thieves are eyeing them.

Unexpectedly, a few years ago, a capable person appeared in the Western Regions, and with unimaginable cost and courage, he opened up the business route from the Western Regions to the Central Plains.

No one knows who this person is, they only know that there are many fans under his command, and there are many capable people and strangers. Along the way, although he encountered many twists and turns, he just retreated without any danger, and gathered together by the way. There were many bandits who robbed houses.

At this point, the commercial roads in the Western Regions have been completely opened up, and more than half of the ten percent is due to this old man.

For various reasons, at the beginning of the establishment of the Silk Road Chamber of Commerce, he became the leader who did his part.In the following two years, it was not that no one wanted to challenge him for the position of leader, but unfortunately none of them succeeded.

In a blink of an eye, it is already the third year.

The voices in the back hall were chaotic, and there were all kinds of accents. The bearded girl in a light veil circled among them, and from time to time, she used laughter to calm the anger of the big bosses from all sides.They had been waiting for an entire hour, waiting for this year's "Treasure Competition" to compete, but who knew that the host had not shown up for a long time, so they were left hanging in the hall.

Zhuo Jiusi frowned and listened for a while, with all the details of the future in his mind, he tilted his head and whispered to Ding Ru'an: "This 'master'...isn't it your master too?"

Ding Ru'an smiled without saying a word.

After waiting for another stick of incense, Ding Ru'an's wine cup was already full for the third round, and finally someone couldn't sit still, kicked over the stool, and cursed in Huihe language: "Fuck his mother... big guy give him face, Call him 'leader', and that kid still picks up Joe and leaves everyone here! Who does he think he is? The Emperor!"

Someone nearby persuaded: "The leader is always punctual, this time he is late, he must have encountered an accident... There are good wine and food waiting around here, it doesn't hurt to wait a little longer."

Hu Shang, who was the first to attack, was still angry: "I just can't understand that kid's behavior...you bitches! How come there are so many poor and fastidious people who travel all over the world!"

The more he talked, the more he got angry, and when he was about to kick over the table, a delicate fragrant wind suddenly came from the back of the hall, and after a while, he heard the rustling of the bead curtain, and a woman came out lightly.

The troublemaker Hu Shang choked his throat, and saw that the woman was obviously a beard girl, her hair was as bright as red gold, her figure was graceful and graceful, her lake-colored eyes looked left and right, even with a veil on, she could still see the outline of her facial features, she seemed to be an outstanding woman beauty.

The noisy inner hall suddenly fell silent, and a group of Hu merchants stared straight at the Hu girl, unable to open their mouths or speak.

According to the etiquette of the Central Plains, Nu Hu performed a Wanfu ceremony, but she spoke in the hearty manner of Da Mo's daughter: "My master is delayed by something, and I can't come today. I'm sorry for the long wait... I will host it for him now. Please forgive me for today's treasure competition."

A group of Hu merchants waited for a long time, and they had already suppressed their anger. They were a little impatient listening to the Hu woman's polite conversation, and seeing her beautiful face behind the veil, they couldn't get angry again.

Someone laughed and said, "Little girl, if you are willing to go with the uncle, let alone wait for half a day, even three days and three nights, I will be willing."

There was a roar of laughter in the hall, but Hu Nu was used to the world, she was neither surprised nor angry, she just smiled sweetly: "My little girl is ugly, I'm afraid it will spoil your eyes. Besides, today is a competition for treasures, so many rare things Objects are waiting to pass your eyes, how can there be any reason to pick up stones instead of gems?"

She warmed up the scene with a few words, and got down to business: "This year's competition for treasures has never been more lively than ever. I just took a cursory look and saw Persian, Dashi, and body poison from afar. Brother, it’s not easy for everyone to come here, you must have given away your wealth, right? Not much to say, let’s start now?”

The orchid envoys in the hall delivered fresh roast mutton. At the same time, each caravan took out wooden boxes of different sizes and lined up on the white marble table in the center.Zhuo Jiusi happened to be hungry, and he didn't need chopsticks. He picked up a leg bone and gnawed on it, and poked Ding Ruyun curiously with his elbow: "Tell me, what are you talking about in this treasure meeting?"

Ding Ruyun lazily said: "What else can I ask for? It's nothing more than spices, jewels, jade, silk... Some of the things that are not particular about, even if they get beauties, they will bring them here, which will open up people's horizons."

Zhuo Jiu thought for a while, and then said: "If someone deliberately lowers the price, or raises the price, what can I do?"

Ding Ru'an didn't expect that he would even consider these details, so he glanced at him with a little surprise: "See those people sitting behind the curtain? They are all old people on the road, and their eyes are piercing! They have traveled far and wide for thirty years, and their reputation It's not bad, the most rare thing is that these people are of mixed race, and they won't favor any side, but no one will object to the price they shout."

Zhuo Jiusi nodded as if realizing something.

The Hu merchants in the hall are all cheerful people, someone left the table and stepped forward, held down the easternmost wooden box and said with a smile: "Then start with me."

Hu Nu looked him in the eyes, covered her mouth and smiled lightly: "So it's the brothers from Dashi. It's been a hard journey...Come here, bring up the newly brewed wine, and quench the brothers' thirst."

The big food merchant laughed, picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp, then opened the wooden box and saw a "stone" the size of a fist inside. A poor beggar in a rich family compound.

Immediately laughed, someone said: "It is said that the big food produces gems, where did you get these broken stones, and they are worth such a rarity? I am afraid that the family's fortune will be wiped out, right?"

Dashi Hushang showed an angry face: "If you don't know how to do it, don't talk nonsense... Come up and smell it, see if it is a stone!"

Hu merchants are all good people. Someone came up to smell it, and suddenly exclaimed: "This is not a stone, it has a strong fragrance!"

Hearing the sound of the bead curtain, several old gentlemen who were originally sitting behind the curtain turned out.Judging from the description, it has both the style of Huyu and the shadow of people from the Central Plains, and it is indeed of mixed blood.The oldest one was dressed as a scholar, wearing a scarf on his head, shaking a black feather fan, lowered his head and squinted his eyes for a sniff, and grinned with an intoxicated smile: "This is not some broken stone, it's the best ambergris! "

The people below were startled: "Abergris?"

The old scholar shook his feather fan, shook his head and dragged his head, and said: "There are words in the ancestors: Seeing the muddy phoenix shoes, snuggling up to pick them off, breaking the ambergris, turning the fire and turning them over... that's what they said. Unbeknownst to everyone, this thing was taken out of the belly of a giant whale in the East China Sea. It was refined by a secret method. Once it was ignited, the fragrance was faint but not light, clear but not cold, and it was especially favored by the emperors of the Central Plains. It was only the size of a thumb, and it was placed in the capital of the Central Plains. , you can bid a sky-high price."

He paused slightly, and cupped his hands at the big food Hu merchant: "Brother, this fist-sized piece, if you get it in the capital of the Central Plains, at least you can bid for a price of 10 taels."

As soon as these words came out, the eyes of the Hu merchants in the hall were all wrong, staring at Ambergris like a hungry wolf staring at a fat sheep, wishing to break off a piece and see what's so rare.The big food businessman was in the limelight, and he closed the lid of the box triumphantly: "Sure enough, I have good eyesight. This is my treasure at the bottom of the box. If I can take a look at it, it will be considered an advantage to you."

He is so arrogant that some people are not happy about it.A thick-haired Hu merchant stood up and said in a blunt Huihe language: "Isn't it just something that was taken out of the belly of a big fish? What's so rare? Give it to me for nothing, I still think it's dirty!"

Dashi merchant couldn't help being furious: "What did you say!"

The bearded woman on the side watched the words and smiled and separated the two: "Brother Dashi's ambergris is really a treasure. I have been with the master for so long, and I have never seen such a good spice... But Brother Persia seems to have something to say, you If there are good things, why don’t you show them, and let’s open our eyes together?”

The Persian businessman put one hand on the lid of the box, raised his head and looked around haughtily: "I don't know the rules when I come back to this kind of occasion. I heard that the baby has the final say here. Whoever has the most valuable baby can take over." Chamber of Commerce?"

Ding Ru'an drank a bowl of wine and said to himself: Nonsense, otherwise what are you doing here!

"I followed the princess of our country to visit Huihe. I came in a hurry. I didn't bring any treasures with me, only a few rubies that I could barely see." The Persian businessman opened the lid of the box with a smile.

In the next moment, Ding Ru'an saw the ability of Hu merchants in the Western Regions to "pretend to be pigs and eat tigers".

I saw that the box was padded with thick velvet, and the ruby's luster was like blood.It is not a common gemstone, but it is the size of a fist, and it has not been polished. It is already a rare treasure in the world.

Someone at the bottom gasped: "Is this... pigeon blood?"

"Pigeon's blood is the rarest variety of rubies," Zhuo Jiusi said in a low voice, fearing that Ding Ru'an would not know, "The aristocratic families in the capital are used to seeing treasures, so they may not be able to find such a ruby. I remember that day Gongge got a similar ruby...it is only half the size of this one, its luster and color are not as good, and it has a price of 10 taels of silver. want."

Ding Ru'an's expression was unpredictable, he didn't know whether he felt that the aristocratic family in Beijing was full, or he was depressed that he was treated by General Zhuo as a bumpkin who had never seen the world.

As soon as the pigeon's blood appeared, there was no accident, and there was a low gasp.Among Master Jianbao, the one in the middle is a woman. At first glance, she doesn't look too old, but she has delicate eyebrows and a serious expression. There are two nasolabial folds at the corner of her mouth, and her cheeks are split into three petals. She looks a bit bitter and mean. Mutually.She took out a crystal glass mirror from her bosom, looked at the ruby ​​against the light, and smiled slightly after a while: "It's really good in color...the old lady hasn't seen such a heavy weight for many years. Ruby is different from ordinary jewelry. It is a symbol of dignity, and it is not uncommon for such a piece of silver to be fetched 20 taels in the Bank of China Building in Beijing."

The Persian Hu merchant heaved a sigh of relief, closed the lid of the box, and said with a smug smile: "It's not worth anything... We can come to China to learn a lot, thanks to the leader of the Chamber of Commerce, if he is willing to show his face, this Give him the pigeon's blood as a filial piety, just as a reward for our trip."

After the words fell, the audience suddenly fell silent, and a group of Hu merchants exchanged glances calmly.

This leader surnamed Zhang has controlled the commercial routes in the Western Regions for many years. Although he was fair and the price was reasonable, he couldn't stand the lack of support.Seeing that the Silk Road trade is becoming more and more prosperous, a group of Hu merchants are eager to try, wishing to snatch this hen in their arms and hatch a few more golden eggs.

During this trip, the Hu merchants have met countless times in private, with only one intention, hoping to take the leading power of the business route on their plates.Unexpectedly, the signs had not yet appeared, the Persian Hu merchants on the stage came first, making it clear that the chariots and horses were going to carry the sedan chair for the chief surnamed Zhang.

Thinking of this, the Hu merchants couldn't sit still for a while, and an unclear meaning flashed across their converging eyes.

Zhuo Jiusi had just arrived here, so he couldn't appreciate the turbulent undercurrent, but he could only see that there were a lot of good things from people from all walks of life, which really opened his eyes.While sighing, he whispered to Ding Ru'an: "See? Those jade bracelets are the best Hetian mutton fat jade, white and delicate, without any blemishes. I have only seen this grade of Hetian jade twice. , one of the pair is still worn by the current Empress Dowager... If it is placed in the Beijing Zhongyin Building, there will be no more than 20 taels of silver that cannot be taken down."

Ding Ru'an was silent for a moment, then took out a small wooden box from his arms, and slowly stuffed it into Zhuo Jiusi.

General Zhuo was taken aback: "What is this?"

When he opened the box, he was shocked, only to see a white mutton fat jade pendant inside, which was of the same grade as the white jade bracelet on the stage.

"I got it by accident two years ago, the carving work is average, and the jade material is not bad," Ding Ru'an said casually, "General Zhuo can play with it if he likes it, and it's good to give it to his sweetheart."

Zhuo Jiusi: "..."

General Zhuo finally realized belatedly that he had just embarrassing himself in front of local tyrants.

Seeing that the competition was coming to an end, some people couldn't sit still: "Chief Zhang is really not here today? What about his baby? Or, he didn't show his baby this year, so he simply abstained? If that's the case, we Nothing to say, just tell him to take out the token of the God of Wealth!"

Zhuo Jiusi wondered, "The token of the God of Wealth?"

Ding Ru'an picked up a chopstick of mutton, and slowly put it into his mouth: "It's just a brand of Fang Jade with a brave head carved on it, it looks very tacky...just relying on this brand, merchants registered in the chamber of commerce, silk road merchants, etc. The stations along the way have to obey orders, and the bandits on the way have to show some kindness. If someone doesn’t follow the rules... Hehe, naturally someone will ask them to settle the score."

Zhuo Jiusi nodded again and again, and halfway through, he suddenly felt something was wrong: "Why are you so clear?"

Ding Ru'an's mouth was occupied by wine and meat, he simply took off a sign from his waist and threw it to Zhuo Jiusi in the air.General Zhuo looked down and saw that there was a brave head carved on the front of the shiny green emerald plate, and the four big characters "Lucky Fortune" carved on the back, he was speechless.

Hu Nu Yingying on the stage said with a smile: "What this uncle said is that although my master was delayed by something, he had to participate in the treasure competition. The others didn't show up, so they just delivered the treasure first, and waited for everyone to finish their appearances." , it’s a good finale appearance.”

Suddenly someone murmured: Generally speaking, the treasure that appears at the finale is naturally the most expensive, otherwise it will definitely not be able to suppress the scene.However, in the previous rounds of treasure offerings, the world's rare treasures have been reviewed one by one. If this Zhang has good goods, how can he be so rare?

While wondering, the Hu girl had already revealed the answer. When the wooden box was opened, everyone stretched their necks involuntarily. The next moment, they all said "Huh" in unison.

Zhuo Jiusi was also full of curiosity, but he was far away and couldn't see clearly even when he stretched his neck.He didn't catch a glimpse of it until the Hu merchants surrounded by them had seen enough of it and sat down one after another, and he couldn't help but gasped.

"This is," he suddenly grasped the skirt of his clothes, and muttered in a low voice, "This, this is actually..."

At the same time, the Hu girl on the stage smiled and said: "This is my master's treasure this year... a blunderbuss that fires ten bullets in a row. Please appreciate it!"